Dipendra of Nepal

Dipendra Bir Bikram Shah (Nepali: दीपेन्द्र वीर विक्रम शाह) (27 June 1971 – 4 June 2001) was a Nepalese crown prince who briefly ascended to become the King of Nepal for three days from 1 to 4 June 2001.

Dipendra briefly became king at age 29 when for unknown reasons he killed his parents (King Birendra and Queen Aishwarya) and seven other people during a shooting rampageon 1 June 2001. At the end of his rampage, Dipendra also shot himself and slipped into a coma for three days. Upon Dipendra's death, his father's brother Gyanendra became king.

Education

King Dipendra received his early education at Budhanilkantha School in Kathmandu. Later, he attended Eton College in England. After Eton, he attended Tribhuvan University in Nepal and later joined the Military Academy in Kharipati, Nepal. He studied Geography at Tribhuvan University for his master's degree and was a PhD student at the same university. He received military training from Academy of Royal Nepalese Gurkha Army, and piloting training from the Civil Aviation Department.

Interests

Dipendra was interested in the fields of social service and had a keen interest in sports. He used to attend various national and international sports ceremonies where Nepalese players participated. Dipendra became a keen karateka when he was studying in England and had received black belt at around the age of 20. He was a patron of the National Sports Council and Nepal's Scouts. Dipendra also wrote articles that were published in Nepalese periodicals. His writings were often on the motifs of nationhood and nationality.

Nepalese royal massacre

On 1 June 2001, Crown Prince Dipendra opened fire at a house on the grounds of the Narayanhity Royal Palace, the residence of the Nepalese monarchy, where a party was being held. He shot and killed his father, King Birendra, his mother, Queen Aishwarya, and seven other members of the royal family before shooting himself in the head. Due to his wiping out of most of the line of succession, he was crowned king while in a comatose state from the head wound.

His motive for the murders is unknown, but there are various theories. Dipendra desired to marry Devyani Rana, the daughter of an Indian royal family whom he had met in England, but due to her family's lower caste and her father's political alliances, Dipendra's parents objected; he was told that he would have to give up his claim to the throne in order to marry her. Other theories allege that Dipendra was unhappy with the country's shift from an absolute to a constitutional monarchy, and that too much power had been given away following the 1990 People's Movement.

Much controversy surrounds the circumstances of the massacre, and even today, with the monarchy abolished, many questions remain within Nepal about its cause. Sources of the yet unanswered questions include details such as the apparent lack of security at the event; the absence of Prince Gyanendra, Dipendra's uncle who succeeded him, from the party; the fact that, despite being right-handed, Dipendra's self-inflicted head-wound was located at his left temple; and finally that the subsequent investigation lasted for only two weeks and did not involve any major forensic analysis.

Honours

National honours

• Sovereign of the Order of Nepal Pratap Bhaskara
• Sovereign of the Order of Ojaswi Rajanya
• Sovereign of the Order of Nepal Taradisha
• Sovereign of the Order of Tri Shakti Patta
• Sovereign of the Order of Gorkha Dakshina Bahu
• Most Glorious Mahendra Chain
• King Birendra Investiture Medal (24 February 1975)
• Commemorative Silver Jubilee Medal of King Birendra (31 January 1997)

Foreign honours

•  Denmark : Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Dannebrog (17 October 1989)[4]
•  Germany : Knight Grand Cross Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (1997)
•  Japan : Knight Grand Cordon of the Order of the Chrysanthemum (12/04/2001)